Today's letters: Stage magic

Published: Sunday, December 9, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 7, 2012 at 6:32 p.m.

To the editor: Growing up in Henderson County, my family would drive past the Flat Rock Playhouse every day. I wanted more than anything to see the shows on the marquee. I would crane my neck to see as much of the Playhouse as possible; I knew magic happened there.

My first FRP show was in 2003, “Singin’ In The Rain.” It was so amazing I almost cried. I have seen many shows since then, but the FRP shows are always a little more special than the others; a little more magic goes into them. I cannot imagine my children seeing an empty marquee, a shell of a playhouse, a ghost of what it was. I want my children’s stomachs to flip with the excitement of a new show on the marquee, and turn around in the car to see the magic that is there just driving by.

FRP is a family in need; it needs some magic returned from the community. Let the commissioners know that Henderson County is not content with an empty marquee; buy tickets to see the next amazing show. Give what you can and support it so your children can experience the magic, too.

Stacie Worrell

Zirconia

Wrong prices

A letter was printed in Thursday’s paper (“Money problems”) that was built around numbers that were not correct and therefore painted a false narrative of ticket prices at the Flat Rock Playhouse.

The writer said, “FRP was doing fine when tickets were $18-$27 10 years ago, rising steadily to $40 this year.” Neither part of the statement is correct.

In regard to “FRP was doing fine when tickets were $18-$27 10 years ago,” the true numbers are that top ticket prices have not been at or below $27 in 16 years. The actual top ticket price 10 years ago was $34.

In regard to “rising steadily to $40 this year,” the top ticket price of $40 has been in place now for the past three seasons and is not changing for the coming 2013 season.

It is also interesting to note that only 18 percent of attendees pay that top ticket price due to various discounts, season passes, rush buys, group rates, and because of the ticket donations to many different school and nonprofit groups as part of its educational nonprofit charter.

It is vital that we all base our opinions on this and any issue on accurate information.

Robert Danos

Hendersonville

Doubling down

To the editor: The president went off to Burma and made speeches about the importance of not allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for the middle class.

In the same speeches, the president wants to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire for the so-called wealthy.

The Republicans have argued that the tax increases on the wealthy will only bring in a few billion (about $80 billion) of revenue each year against our debt of greater than $16 trillion and that we should be addressing the major contributors to our debt — Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. If the president’s strategy was to address the major financial issues of the country, he would be meeting night and day with leaders of the Senate and House to find the best deal for the country.

But instead, the president is not showing any interest in a compromise deal. It is clear that he intends to double down on just one thing, allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for the wealthy, and if he doesn’t get that and only that, he plans to blame the Republicans for allowing taxes to increase on the middle class. He scores political points, but we will pay dearly.

<p>To the editor: Growing up in Henderson County, my family would drive past the Flat Rock Playhouse every day. I wanted more than anything to see the shows on the marquee. I would crane my neck to see as much of the Playhouse as possible; I knew magic happened there.</p><p>My first FRP show was in 2003, Singin’ In The Rain. It was so amazing I almost cried. I have seen many shows since then, but the FRP shows are always a little more special than the others; a little more magic goes into them. I cannot imagine my children seeing an empty marquee, a shell of a playhouse, a ghost of what it was. I want my children’s stomachs to flip with the excitement of a new show on the marquee, and turn around in the car to see the magic that is there just driving by.</p><p>FRP is a family in need; it needs some magic returned from the community. Let the commissioners know that Henderson County is not content with an empty marquee; buy tickets to see the next amazing show. Give what you can and support it so your children can experience the magic, too.</p><p><em>Stacie Worrell</em></p><p><em>Zirconia</em></p><h3>Wrong prices</h3>
<p>A letter was printed in Thursday’s paper (Money problems) that was built around numbers that were not correct and therefore painted a false narrative of ticket prices at the Flat Rock Playhouse.</p><p>The writer said, FRP was doing fine when tickets were $18-$27 10 years ago, rising steadily to $40 this year. Neither part of the statement is correct.</p><p>In regard to FRP was doing fine when tickets were $18-$27 10 years ago, the true numbers are that top ticket prices have not been at or below $27 in 16 years. The actual top ticket price 10 years ago was $34.</p><p>In regard to rising steadily to $40 this year, the top ticket price of $40 has been in place now for the past three seasons and is not changing for the coming 2013 season.</p><p>It is also interesting to note that only 18 percent of attendees pay that top ticket price due to various discounts, season passes, rush buys, group rates, and because of the ticket donations to many different school and nonprofit groups as part of its educational nonprofit charter.</p><p>It is vital that we all base our opinions on this and any issue on accurate information.</p><p><em>Robert Danos</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>Doubling down</h3>
<p>To the editor: The president went off to Burma and made speeches about the importance of not allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for the middle class.</p><p>In the same speeches, the president wants to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire for the so-called wealthy.</p><p>The Republicans have argued that the tax increases on the wealthy will only bring in a few billion (about $80 billion) of revenue each year against our debt of greater than $16 trillion and that we should be addressing the major contributors to our debt  Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. If the president’s strategy was to address the major financial issues of the country, he would be meeting night and day with leaders of the Senate and House to find the best deal for the country.</p><p>But instead, the president is not showing any interest in a compromise deal. It is clear that he intends to double down on just one thing, allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for the wealthy, and if he doesn’t get that and only that, he plans to blame the Republicans for allowing taxes to increase on the middle class. He scores political points, but we will pay dearly.</p><p><em>Jack Harshbarger</em></p><p><em>Etowah</em></p>